Bangladesh, April 14 -- The South African government has issued a sharp rebuke to Elon Musk, accusing the billionaire entrepreneur of spreading “lies and disinformation” about the country while disregarding its laws and policies. The criticism comes after Musk amplified claims on social media suggesting that white farmers in South Africa are being systematically targeted and killed-an assertion Pretoria firmly denies.

The dispute escalated following Musks repost of a video on April 12 that showed a long row of crosses, purportedly marking graves of murdered white farmers. The accompanying caption claimed that each cross represented a victim of such killings. The post quickly gained traction online, reigniting a long-running a...